M35-39: Nick Tsotu Dominates a 48-Man Field in 15:55

• Nick Tsotu won the M35-39 group in 15:55 (5:07/mi) — nearly 3 minutes clear of 2nd place.
• Trevor Cancilla and Richard Nielsen ran a tight battle for the podium, separated by just 34 seconds (18:50 vs. 19:24).
• Ricky Gonzalez and John Hoagland finished 15th and 16th in a near-dead-heat finish — same displayed time of 24:50, with Hoagland's chip read at 24:50.16 edging him just behind Gonzalez.
• German Chavez Jr. climbed from 35th to 28th among men in the closing mile, posting the 30th-fastest closing split in the men's field to lock up 4th in M35-39.

Nick Tsotu simply ran a different race than everyone else in the M35-39 group on a warm Memorial Day morning in Sacramento. His 15:55 at 5:07 per mile wasn't just a win — it was a statement, with a margin of 2:55 over second place. His closing mile was equally sharp: the 3rd-fastest split among the men from 1M to the finish, confirming he didn't just go out hard and hang on.

Behind Tsotu, Trevor Cancilla and Richard Nielsen ran their own compelling race for the podium. Cancilla crossed in 18:50, with Nielsen 34 seconds back at 19:24. German Chavez Jr. rounded out the top four at 19:58, having moved up seven spots in the men's field over that final stretch to close strong. Notably, 5th-place Christopher Walthers at 24:56 was separated from Chavez by nearly five full minutes, making the top four a distinct leading pack.

The mid-pack offered its own drama. Jasper Westerhoff-Corona (20:15) and Leonardo Zamudio (20:17) were virtually inseparable in 6th and 7th, just two seconds apart after 3.1 miles. And at the back of the listed finishers, Ricky Gonzalez and John Hoagland ran side by side to the line — same time on the clock, with the chip deciding a 15th/16th split by a fraction of a second. Across 48 finishers in the M35-39 group, the racing was real from front to back.